Mirror ring



Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. NAUMBURG, F WINCIESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MIRROR RING.

. Application led September 28, 1925. Serial No. 58,955.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. NAUMBuRG, a citizen of the United States of America,

and resident of Winchester, inthe county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements 1n Mirror Rings, of which the following 1s a l specification.

Young women find continual occasion for consulting the appearance of their complexions, hair, headgear and neckwear, and effecting suitable readjustments. Mlrrors mounted in the portable hand bags, cosmetic boxes andv other personal furniture in 'vogue are observed to be in frequent use in assemblages such theatre audiences, at tables in restaurants, in public vehicles, in shops, and offices, as well as in private company. Ease of access to the mirror -and capacity to use it gracefully without disqualifying use of at least one hand to remedy the deficiency in toilet, if any, disclosed by the mirror; and a competent refiected image of the entire head and shoulders on a surface at a convenient hand-reaching distance from the eyes of the user are of the essence of utility, but so far as I am aware, no reflector wholly responsive to these requirements, eX- cepting large-apertured, and relatively heavy hand-mirrors, is accessible to the user. These and other types of hand-mirrors lack intrinsic capacity as decorative accessories to the person, and are often of unpleasantly utilitarian appearance.

An object of this invention is to provide a. mounted mirror essentially of a decorative Vand inoffensive appearance in such compass as to be capable of wear as jewelry, particularly as a finger ring, which shall nevertheless be an eflicient reflector for the required utility. The conditions of lthis use dictate capacity of the actual reflector to show the head and shoulders, limit the distance at which the mirror shall be placed from the eyes (and therefore from the head and face of the user) toa convenient position of the hand of the user, and limit the angular aperture of the mirror to a size of unobtrusive extent. The qualities of the -mirror should be such to permit a close View of particular features, for example the eyes, nose` and cheeks, when desired.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a finger ring embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a diagram in section on an axial plane of the optical element.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred form comprises a ring of any suitable sculptural design, preferably made of -0ne of the white metals such as silver, platinized silver, a white-metal alloy or white gold, provided with a recessed setting central' upon a plane of symmetry of the band portion l. The top of the structure is provided With any type of bezel 2 having an intaglio seat, which may be of any appropriate size and cross-section, but preferably is circular, the seat in any case comprising a raised Hange l0 and a ledge 3 preferably lying in a plane, but which may be conical or any surface of revolution 4incident', upon cutting or finishing the intaglio'seat by a revolving cutter. The ledge 3 provides a non-distorting bearing for a mirror setting 4. This in a preferred form is a concavoconvex spherical optical glass meniscus, preferably having a cylindrical or elliptical edge contour 5 to fit within the raised marginor flange l0 of the intaglio seat, and

preferably having an annular surface 6 formed by grinding to fit the Seat 3. It is recommended that the glass meniscus have a mean axial thickness of the order of l mm.

In a preferred instance having optical qualities corresponding to the severe limitations alluded to above, the curvature of the concave spherical refiecting surface s is upon a radius r of 27.2 mm., and the ex-' terior convex spherical ysurface s2 is upon a radius r2 of curvature of 28.3 mm. This corresponds to the index of refraction of optical glass of good quality as the material for setting 4 upon apostulated angular magnitude of the reflected cone sufiicient at a normal reaching distance of the hand of cm. to comprise the image of the heat. and shoulders of the wearer within an aperture of lO mm. of spherical surface. The optical constants stated of thickness, index of refraction and radius of curvature of the surfaces are of course 'mutually complementary, so that variation of any one of them may be compensated for by variation of another; the numerical values given are 105 vature of the exterior surface S2 of the ele- 110 ment-.4 is approximately as one is to three the typical instance mentioned.- This ratio remains good, 'if it should be found desirable to vary either aperture or radius, without changing the field of view.. reflected at a v convenient reaching distance of the hand wearing the ring.

Surface s preferably bears a silver or mercury amalgam reflecting layer m which serves together with the 'refraction of the lenticular setting 4, to constitute a negatlve or convex mirror of the said approprlate o tical constants.- The apparent convexity o this mirror is so considerable as to render the mirror an object of intrinsic vinterest and beauty asa miniature reflector of the Surrounding landsca e, hangings or lights when.

. a round setting 4, by the splnning action of minor axis should not be much less than 10 mm. and the major axis not much more than 15 mm.

Preferably as an integral part of the ring the seat 3 is provided with the surrounding bezel .flange 10 having an unfinished projeceater thalrthe mar inal.

tion considerably thickness of the mirror setting 4,' and a apted to be turned in upon the margin of the setting 4 as at 11 b any suitable gemsetting operation; pre erably in the case of a suitable tool revolved about the optical axis of the mirror. 4The finished height of the flange edge, as will be perceived from the'drawi'ng, 1s suflicient t0 provide an upstanding bead which serves as a protection of the surface s2 against scratching or breakage by contact with hard objects. In Athe referred form, the inta lio seat in the beze 2 comprises a concavlty 12, at the .margins of which the seat 3 is formed.

What I claim is:

1. A combinedv ring and hand mirror comprising a finger ring having a seat for a setting, and having as a setting a spherical reducing reflector of which the diameter 'of the exposed aperture of the reflector and the elfectlve curvature of its spherical surface are proportioned to each other substantially as one to three, whereby to reflect the head and shoulders of the wearer at a normal reaching distance ofthe hand from the observing eyes, the ,reflecting surface being of a customary size for decorative gem settings.

2. A mirror ring comprising a metallic finger ring having a seat for a setting and a concavo-convex mirror of transparent material mounted in said seat'and having a spherical reflecting surface of substantially 25 to 30 millimeters radius of curvature, the transparent material having an exposed convex optical surface of a greater radius of curvature and constituting a refractive element.

3. Av mirror 'ring having a negative re- -fleeting setting of a minimum aperture of the order of 10 millimeters, thesaid setting. l having a spherical convex reflecting surface and a transparent refracting layer having a convex optical surface, the curvatures of the optical surfaces being upon radii of the order of three diameters4 of the aperture and substantially concentric, whereby to provide within the minimum aperture of the setting a cone of refiected vision from a point at a distance of 50 centimeters of sutilcient angular magnitude to comprise the head and shoulders of an observer at said distance.

Signed by meat Boston, Massachusetts,

t-his twenty-fifth day of September, 1925.

' A ROBERT E. NAUMBURG. 

